Jianmen Pass 剑门关
Previously, I ended off where I took a train from Chengdu to Guangyuan City 广元市 for a one night stay before continuing towards Xi An. Guangyuan is a city situated on the north of the Szechuan province. Here a few kilometres away from the city lies Jianmen Pass, Also known as the No. 1 Impregnable Pass, this is a place where people come to explore its scenic pass, formed by the cliffs on both sides of the mountain.
During the Three Kingdoms, Shu country strategist Zhuge Liang was in this area when he identified this natural terrain as a perfect place to set up defensive positions. Hence, the military gate was built. After Zhuge Liang passed away, his successor, Jiang Wei, led the army and successfully held this gate against the invasion by Wei country. Thus, this pass was given the name 天下第一关, No. 1 Impregnable Pass in the World.
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| Statue of Shu country strategist Zhuge Liang |
As the pass is made of two cliffs on both sides of the mountain, the route through the whole Jianmen Pass park requires one to climb up one side of the mountain, descend and then climb up the other side of the cliff. Of course, in China, there is always a shortcut. Between the two cliffs is a zipline that allows you to go across the other side of the cliff without breaking a sweat, or so I thought.
As an avid traveller who loves nothing more than a challenge and being someone with two mountains under my belt. I .... took the zipline.
Seriously, any sane person, after looking at the amount of stairs you must climb, would take the zipline, swing across the cliffs with a fishy looking harness that is the only thing that prevents you from falling 800m into the valley. When asked whether it is safe, the operator stuck out his chest and declared that it is 100% safe and told me not to worry as the ticket across the cliff is inclusive of a 10RMB insurance (Wudddddd *in very high pitch voice*).
After carrying on the journey with jelly-like legs, I finally reached the peak of the mountain. I noticed that there were plans to construct a glass viewing platform at the edge of the cliff but it was under construction when I was there. After a few minutes of rest, I began my descent along the Ancient Shu Road. This is a very treacherous rugged path that was carved out of the rock cliff. Not for the faint hearted, there were areas where the steps were very steep with nothing more than a tiny hole carved into the rock face for you to stick your foot in for support. Of course, more than often you will get the chance to stare right down the straight cliff.
But of course, all of these came with a complementary amazing view of the mountains.
An almost vertical flight of stairs
Almost.... made it!
My half day tour came to an end as I climbed down the last few steps of the natural pass. I went back to my hotel for a shower, took a nap and went for a quick dinner before boarding the sleeper train towards Xi An. Guangyuan is definitely an underrated city because it is not very well known but with Jianmen Pass, this city boasts a tourist attraction which is place worth exploring.
Next stop, Xi An and the Terracotta army.
